The Rynek Underground

10:00-22:00

At a depth of several metres below the surface of the Main Market Square, from the Cloth Hall to St Mary’s Church, awaits a true treasure trove of information on Kraków’s past.

Walking between the Cloth Hall and St Mary’s Church, you probably don’t realise that just a few metres’ below, a true treasure trove of information about Kraków’s past lies hidden below. To discover it, it is enough to descend into Rynek Underground (the entry is from the arcaded gallery of the Cloth Hall, from the side of St Mary’s). The development of the subterranean museum in 2005 was preceded by an archaeological study that brought plenty of new discoveries and historical exhibits. Walking the underground Following the traces of European identity of Kraków trail, we will feel the atmosphere of the bygone medieval market square and discover the ties connecting the royal capital city of Poland with the crucial centres of commerce and culture in medieval Europe. Over the centuries, the floor level of the market square rose significantly, therefore descending to the underground space we move a few centuries back, even to the days preceding the Great Charter of Kraków of 1257. Offering food for the imagination on this travel through time are among others the uncovered foundations of cottages from the 12th/13th centuries, the brick walls of ancient edifices, original objects retrieved during the archaeological digs, reconstructions of craftsmen’s workshops, and even modern multimedia. Awaiting the youngest visitors is a special play space and a mechanical theatre showing the Legend of Bygone Kraków.